The whole issue with the safety pins was a rather 'knee jerk" reaction
rather than a cure.
I don't honestly know of any of these connections when proper connected
(that's the catch, so to speak) with or without safety pins installed...for
years gliders with these connections never used the safety pins...the
problem lies with the connectors not getting proper attached in the first
place, and that is something rather easy to do, they can 'appear" to be
connected and not fully connected...if the fittings are not worn out
(subject of another AD note to measure these balls and sockets) then they
don't become disconnected...many (most) gliders that used these fittings
also however had them in such a location they were installed mostly by brail
since you had to feel your way into a location that was many times
impossible to see.... LS even went to the smoke and mirrors (less the smoke)
method by installing tiny mirrors on the aft bulkheads so you could see the
connections..
the L'Hotellier connections were simply a not nice way of connecting
essential flight controls, several gliders have crashed when they became
disconnected (never properly connected) and people died because of
these....and, probably will in the future as well.
Even some earlier gliders used "pip" pins for control connections, these
were much better than the L'Hotellier fittings.....now, and in the future,
every manufacturer should and most do use automatic connections....
tim



Does anybody have a first person story of a L'Hotellier fitting coming
loose
when it was CERTAIN that it was connected and safetied correctly in the
first place?

I attach and safety pin mine by feel and then check them visually and by
tugging at right angles on each one in turn. Then I also do a PCC.

Bill Daniels